So-called mass data displays can represent a large number of standardized process variables in comparatively little monitor space. In large technical systems, for example, power plants, it is frequently not simply possible to specify which of the often many thousands of process and system variables can be important for a visualization. Therefore, the configuration and calibration of mass data displays can be supported by automated processes in order to be able to take the best possible advantage of the benefits of a clear and meaningful representation. Human perception of any kind of characters or patterns can react sensitively to their changes and deviations, as well as to irregularities.
This fact can be used for displays such as the display of so-called mass data, for example, a plurality of data on one display. During the undisturbed normal operation of a technical system or a technical process, it can be important that the display of the process parameters and the states of the system components, which also include the measuring points within the technical system, takes place as regularly as possible and changes as little as possible for human perception.
Nonetheless, given the surrounding circumstances of the process or the states of the system components and measuring points, because of noise, it may not be possible to avoid a certain level of disturbance and irregularities, even during normal operation of the system or the course of the process without any malfunctions or external influencing factors.
The greater the irregularity and disturbance due to noise, the less useful the display will be, for example, on a display of a monitor of the higher control level of an automation system.
Although the display of so-called mass data on a display can provide advantages due to the high level of abstraction, today, many system operators of larger technical systems such as power plants tend toward rendering real process and/or system parameters on the control room display.
These displays often include only relatively few process and/or system variables about the process and system states. For example, a maximum of several hundred of the most important values can be displayed on the system overview screens. The expense of monitoring them can increase relatively substantially with the amount of available process and/or system data. Since humans are able to monitor only a limited amount of data in parallel, the primary limitations can be the ability of system operators to absorb the information and the available monitor space. When malfunctions are retrospectively evaluated, it often turns out that in order to recognize a looming malfunction at an early stage, a specific process variable would have to have been displayed that had previously been considered relatively unimportant. Mass data displays can also make it possible to display a large amount of data in a systematic manner.
If one of the process and/or system values is subject to periodic fluctuations, this means that their representation will show corresponding variability. However, fluctuations are often not recognized as such by the system operator and are therefore often interpreted as misalignment. For example, rapid fluctuations of the system or process values can cause disturbance in the mass data display.